Leviathan
by Crimson Skies
Summary: AU Exactly where is the water aeon? Perhaps a lot closer than everyone thinks, for he won't be allowed to dream much longer. Probable TidusxYuna.
1. Awakening

**Disclaimer – I don't own FFX**

**Leviathan**

**By Crimson Skies**

**Chapter One – Awakening**

_A blue and white ball cut through the sphere's water. It was a perfectly executed pass, speeding straight past members of the opposite team to reach its destination just as the intended recipient reached the correct spot. With a speed found in only a handful of players, the young man rocketed toward the waiting goal. The only thing barring victory was the keeper. There was no time or strength left for anything fancy. What remaining energy he had left was channeled into the ball as he hurled it towards corner of the goal. Half a city, some in the stadium and others from the comforts of home, waited with bated breath as the keeper reached for the ball._

_The young man observed helplessly as the keeper's hand moved within the path of the ball. A flood of disappointment rolled through him in the split second before the speeding ball slipped through the keeper's fingers and through the goal. A roar rolled through the stadium, reverberating in the young star's ears. Even though the water warped their words, he could still hear the crowd's chant clearly. Letting the exultant mood wash over him, he shifted his eyes over to his teammates. They raced toward him wildly. He could see the laughter in their eyes and braced himself for the inevitable group hug…_

…and hit the floor hard. Lying facedown on the carpet Tidus turned his head to the side, resting his cheek on the scratchy fibers. With a few deep breaths he calmed the labored breathing caused by his sudden awakening. Shifting, he pulled his left arm out from underneath him. A grimace appeared at the twinge that followed. Using his other hand, he pushed himself up into a kneeling position. Blurry eyes checked the alarm and noted that it was only three in the morning. With a frustrated groan, the blond youth hauled his protesting body back onto the bed. Snagging the pile of blankets he pulled them over his head, willing himself back to sleep. Hopefully this time he wouldn't be awoken by dreams. His dreams were becoming far too familiar for his liking as of late.

Six hours later Tidus stood by his kitchen counter, washing down a mouthful of cereal with a glass of orange juice. It was difficult for him to sleep past nine anymore as he was accustomed to rising before six. Some might believe that playing blitzball was an easy career. Those who had succeeded in becoming a professional knew better. It was more physically demanding than any other sport and took about as much discipline as the military. Actually, those who retired from the blitz scene often excelled in a military career.

The ability to hold one's breath for over an hour took years of hard training. Even more challenging was learning to push one's body to the limits of endurance while holding one's breath. Then the other obvious skills such as swimming, passing, catching, and shooting had to be learned and practiced. It was a sport that demanded a certain amount of natural talent and a lifetime of hard work. Simply put, blitz was a lifestyle.

Tidus loved it. Some said he did it for the fame. Others thought he did it for the money. Many agreed that it was for both these reasons. However, a few knew the truth. He lived for the game. Those who knew this, even his teammates, sometimes wondered how it was possible for him to focus so narrowly on blitzball. It was a mystery they'd never solve as Tidus wasn't talking.

This day he would not be practicing. For later that night was the Abe's most important match of the season against their primary rivals, the Duggles. Therefore the day would be used to relax and prepare as best he could. He couldn't afford to dwell on the difficulties he'd been having with his dreams. It wasn't dreaming about blitzball itself that bothered him. It was the fact that he remembered every game he'd ever played. The games relived in his dreams hadn't happened in this lifetime, but he knew they'd taken place. And all those nonexistent games formed a pattern. The blond stamped out that train of thought viciously. He forced his thoughts back to blitz. Tonight's game was his primary concern. Nothing mattered but the game.

**LEVIATHANBYCRIMSONSKIESCHAPTERONEAWAKENING**

That evening, as he walked out of his boathouse, a shiver ran down his spine. Tidus hadn't experienced that kind of eerie premonition for, well, longer than he cared to think about. His memories of the past were returning. Despite this, he grinned when he saw the fans lined up outside. Stubbornly, he pushed his concerns out of his mind. A few of the fans requested autographs, and he happily complied. He was relieved as he felt his focus returning.

"Teach us how to blitz!" the trio of kids chorused. They pinned him with pleading looks.

"Hey, I've got a game to play!" he protested, almost guiltily. He couldn't stand the disappointment on their faces. Tidus was a sucker for the puppy eyed look. "Maybe…tonight…um…well?"

"You can't tonight," said an all too familiar voice. The momentary relief the blond had felt shattered in an instant. He glanced over to see a boy, wearing odd clothes that had a ceremonial look. A purple hood obscured half of his face. No one else seemed to notice him. Tidus convinced himself that it had to be some strange manifestation of his subconscious. He reasoned that it was probably a result of the stress caused by unusual things happening recently. The figure he saw couldn't possibly really exist. Even so, it wasn't wise to disagree with one's subconscious.

"I mean, tomorrow," he amended quickly, focusing on the three kids. They agreed happily, wishing him luck with the blitzball sign of victory.

"Promise?" one asked.

"Promise," he agreed. When he looked back, the odd boy had vanished.

The brisk jog to the stadium did little to calm his nerves. Only halfway there Tidus encountered Jecht's picture on a nearby display. Scoffing at his so called 'father', he moved quickly forward. It took some effort to block out the announcer reminiscing about Jecht. After the announcement ended, the whispers from the fans still followed him. Even now he couldn't escape his father's shadow. It was too engrained in him.

Seeing the stadium rise up before him, all his anxieties melted away. He elbowed his way through the clamoring fans, already cutting it close. Game time was fast approaching. This was it. As he waited for the stadium to fill with water in its customary show of light, adrenaline filled him. Everything faded away as he focused on one thing: blitz.

The game was rough. Not surprising, considering their opponents were the Duggles. He launched into the air, ready to perform one of his specialty shots. As his body rotated, he caught sight of beams of light shooting toward the city from a mass of risen water. It was impossible. The scene awoke in him a memory of flying missiles and speeding airships. The two scenarios were so similar. It shouldn't have been happening. Other memories, ones he'd happily forgotten, lingered at the edges of his mind.

The sphere began to disintegrate beneath him as the stadium collapsed. By twisting to adjust his fall, he was barely able to grab onto an edge. The water on his hand combined with slick metal made it impossible to grip for long. With a scream he fell to the ground below, black flooding his vision. Only moments later he awoke. His head throbbed both from injury and painful memories. Shakily, Tidus rose to his feet. His hands reached up to cradle his head as he tried to maintain his delicate balance. After a few seconds, the haze in his eyes cleared.

The city was in chaos. People ran in panicked herds, trying to escape the unknown danger. Looking around, it appeared as though no where was safe. Buildings crumbled all around. Explosions filled the nigh sky. It was like something out of his nightmares. Warily, the blond navigated through the rubble and out of the stadium entrance. A short ways off, a tall man dressed in a red coat leaned casually against a broken statue. Tidus gasped as he caught sight of the man.

"Auron!" he cried. "What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you," Auron replied. His voice was steady, almost indifferent. It was a startling contrast to the screams of the fleeing spectators.

"What are you talking about?"

Auron didn't answer. He simply pushed himself from his position and walked away, going the opposite direction of all the others. Tidus followed, still not sure of what was happening. As he ran down the street, he was jostled by running people into turning this way and that. For a moment, his vision flashed white. The boy stood before him once again. Tidus approached him warily. Glancing behind him, he noticed that time had frozen around them. The surroundings were blurred.

"It begins," the boy declared, causing Tidus to turn back to him. The voice was exactly the same as he remembered. It was ludicrous!

"Wha…?" Tidus backed up a few steps. "How…?"

"Don't cry." There existed a kind of innocent request in that statement. And then he was gone.

"What the…?" Tidus circled in disorientation as time moved forward once again. Spotting Auron waiting a ways off, he raced towards him. "Hey! Wait!"

"Hey! Not this way!" he exclaimed, catching up to the red clad man. He bent over, trying to catch his breath. It was proof of how flustered he was that all his careful training in breathing abandoned him for a moment. He didn't have time to relax, however.

"Look!" Auron commanded.

Tidus glanced in the indicated direction and his heavy breathing died, caught in his throat. A huge sphere of water floated in the sky, completely unsupported. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen, or thought possible.

"We called it 'Sin'," Auron told him. For Tidus, it hardly explained anything.

"'Sin'?" he echoed. Before an answer came, a monstrous tentacle launched large, shell-like missiles which landed on the highway around them. A wild fear rose in Tidus as they transformed into insect-like creatures. They wasted no time in harassing him. All his efforts to drive them away amounted to nothing. One lunged at him. The blond stumbled backwards, falling to the ground.

"Take it." Auron chose now to interfere, holding a sword within his reach. The crimson blade was elegant in its smooth curves and vicious hook. "A gift from Jecht," Auron added.

Tidus looked at him in surprise. He had been aware, in a distant way, that Auron had known his father. That was one of the unsolved mysteries he associated with the elder.

"My old man?" he asked. Catching the monsters from the corner of his eye, he didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he panicked. Waving the sword in wide arcs, Tidus managed to drive the creatures away. He also succeeded in landing on his rear for a second time. Rising to his feet instantly, he staggered only a bit. Long hours of training came back to him as he adjusted his grip to suit one hand.

"I hope you know how to use it," Auron said in his typical monotone. Though he didn't show it, he was mildly surprised when Tidus adapted immediately. Already the blond was in a comfortable ready stance.

The blitzer made an unintelligible sound and nodded shortly in confirmation. With a few deep breaths, he was ready.

"These ones don't matter. We cut through," Auron instructed grimly.

The battle was simple. The creatures barring their way were soon found to be weak and unintelligent. They could be felled with a single good hit. However, Every time one was cut down, another took its place. Auron quickly assessed the situation and told Tidus to eliminate only those in their way. Tidus listened with one ear as he killed another of the beasts. Their attack styles, one slow and strong and the other fast and light, complimented each other nicely. Now and again one of the things landed a hit, but it was not enough to slow the pair.

Once a path was cleared, they took no time in breaking free. They were halfway up the slope when a rumble shook the street. There, before them, was the multi-tentacled _thing_ that released the monsters. Surrounding it were a handful of the creatures.

"Get out of my town!" Tidus yelled at it, infuriated.

"Some can't wait to die," Auron echoed in dark humor. He drove his sword into the ground. At the moment of impact it released a wave of energy, destroying all of the monstrous thing's underlings. Tidus found himself impressed by the well executed technique. The two were then free to attack the large monster, severing the tentacles one by one. It pulsed waves of malignant magic known as the spell Demi at them, but it was only enough to slow them down. The large creature was more of a carrier for the little ones than a fighter on its own. Together the two swordsmen had no problem felling their opponent.

Tidus followed close behind Auron as he navigated around the dead monster and farther down the overpass. Jecht's picture on the nearby building seemed to mock Tidus as he passed. "What are you laughing at, old man?" Just then he pulled even with Auron, who had stopped dead. "Auron, let's get out of here!" Tidus suggested, not quite pleading. Auron didn't bother to look at him.

"We're expected," the other declared, not even acknowledging the request.

"Huh?" It seemed that sentiment was becoming common for him today. Something had invaded this, his domain, and it was throwing it into chaos. Tidus was beginning to recognize that a chain of events was being set in motion, intent on shattering his world. When the immediate danger was over, he was going to find that kid and demand to know what was happening. Or perhaps he would wring it out of Auron, if the older swordsman even knew. "Gimme a break, man!" he whined as Auron took off once again. Tidus was left to sprint behind him.

They'd not gotten far when dozens of the strange creatures landed around them, still folded in their shell-like shape. Those nearest to them unfurled in order to attack them. The way the creatures tottered, as if off balance, was starting irritate both men's eyes. They were doing well, considering the odds, until Tidus was hit in the leg with a barrage of spines. It wasn't a deep wound, but slowed him slightly. That was when they realized their opponents had a deadly bite after all. The regular attacks of the pests weren't of much concern, but the projected spines were deadly and difficult to avoid. Their saving grace was the fact that it took awhile for a creature to prepare the attack.

Glancing around, it became obvious to Auron that there would be no near end to their opponents. They couldn't afford to be stopped here, not after all the years he had waited. He noticed a piece of machinery hanging over the edge of the street. While his knowledge of machines wasn't exceptional, it had grown over the years he'd spent watching Tidus in Zanarkand. With a great enough impact, it would likely trigger a large explosion.

"That! Knock it down!" he snapped at Tidus.

"What?" The blond exclaimed, glancing at him incredulously.

"Trust me."

Thankfully, though he grumbled, the younger one obeyed him. Dodging the enemy attacks, they managed to cut the link loose with several solid swipes of their swords. Tidus didn't realize what the plan was until the explosion began and the street started to collapse.

"Go," Auron urged, not even a hint of panic in his voice.

The pavement fell from under his feet as Tidus tried to outrun the fiery wave of destruction. He leapt desperately for the piece of solid street above him. Grasping the edge, he swung helplessly in a similar situation from when the attack began. This time though, his gloved were dry and the rough concrete provided necessary traction. His precious stamina and adrenaline had run out, however, and he could feel his hold slipping. Auron, who had somehow gotten atop safely, seemed to be ignoring his plight.

"Auron!" Tidus screamed, frantically trying to catch his attention. "Auron!" The yells were in vain as the man in red ignored him.

"You are sure?" he asked the writhing mass centered above them. Tidus didn't hear anyone speak, but Auron nodded as if he'd heard an answer. Reaching down, he grabbed Tidus roughly and hauled him up. There, he held him in the air with inhuman strength. "This is it," he began solemnly. "This is your story."

The next thing Tidus was aware of was his vision turning into streaks of colored light. The voice of the purple clad boy echoed loudly in his head.

"It's time to wake up. You cannot keep dreaming any longer."

The next thing he was aware of was swimming through water, or maybe it was air, above Zanarkand. Before him floated his father's symbol, depicted in fiery stones. It was then Tidus noticed two familiar presences. One of them was strong, and nearby. For this one he felt a long time irritation. The other…the other made his blood boil in anger. It was _him_. However, the first presence drowned out most of the second. Then it faded as well. Soon he could sense neither of them. Exploring the area he found a younger version of himself waiting for him.

In that oddly endless moment, the thoughts he'd been suppressing invaded his mind. All energy spent, he passed into unconciousness. The dreams…or perhaps memories…he experienced at that time scared him. Tidus could feel the emptiness that existed all around him. That echoing hollow, where no one existed but him. It was in that moment that he desperately wanted someone, anyone, to find him.

**ENDCHAPTERONE**

Well, what did you all think? I'm hoping that this will be unlike any FFX fic seen before. This plotbunny had been hounding me for a very, very long time. Longer than any other. Of course, since I realized I could only write this while actually playing the game in order to get certain details right, it took me a long time to get it started. This won't have any mention of X-2 as this is an alternate version of FFX. It is going to be a long, loooooooooooooooong fanfic. It will closely parallel the original game in some ways, and in others it will deviate greatly. I hope you all enjoy it!


	2. Baaj Temple

**Disclaimer – I don't own FFX**

**Leviathan**

**By Crimson Skies**

**Chapter Two – Baaj** **Temple**

The first thing Tidus became aware of was the bone-chilling feel of being soaked in cold water. The smell of seawater assaulted his nose. Groaning, he gradually opened his eyes. A dull throb lingered in his skull. The ache in his muscles instantly made themselves known. As soon as his vision cleared, he examined his surroundings. Grey was the most prevalent color to be seen. Both the overcast sky and the surrounding water were a similar murky shade. He was lying on a slab of brown rock, half submersed in the water. There wasn't a singe soul in sight. The only living creature he could see was a bird perched on a nearby stone.

"Anybody there?" he called, hoping for a response. "Auron!" Frantically, his head jerked back in forth in an attempt to find the man who seemed to be at the root of his situation. "Heeey!" The loud cry echoed over the water. The wind howled in a harsh mockery of his calls.

The bird, startled by his exclamation abruptly took to the air. It flew towards a towering building in the distance where others of its kind circled. Lightning flashed on the horizon, spreading blotches of blue and purple in the clouds at random intervals. It was obvious that the weather was taking a turn for the worse. Tidus felt a chill work its way up his spine. He had no problems with water, as he'd spent half his life in it. Lightening, however, was something to be wary of. Not wasting time, he took better stock of his surroundings.

All around him were the remains of what appeared to be an ancient ruin. The toppled columns near him had a familiar look to them. Tidus had a strong feeling that he'd been to this place before. It wasn't a pleasant feeling. This place harbored a strong air of desolation and regret. It bored into his mind mercilessly. Despite that, he couldn't quite place the location from broken remains alone. He quickly determined that the best course of action would be to head towards the structure in the distance.

Diving below the surface, he swam quickly until reaching a staircase rising above the water. As he set foot on the stone stairs, something caused him to turn abruptly. He gazed at the ruins behind him with awakening alarm. For a moment, he saw the place as it had once been. A labyrinth of stone stretched out before him, lit by a glow that was unnatural. Across the chamber was an arched door. It was blocked by something that resembled a lowered shield that was rising slowly. Once again his vision flashed and he saw what the room contained. The statue of an impressive serpent was stretched before him. He heard the words that were spoken to him there.

"…_This is the only way… to end everything…" _

"No," he whispered, voice cracking. For a moment, the strength in his legs wavered. He locked his knees viciously, refusing to fall.

Tidus knew exactly where he was now. The locks he'd placed on his memories had moved past corrosion and were actually falling apart. This place was Baaj Temple. He had indeed been here before. The area he'd awoken in had once been a stone chamber. Fate certainly had a twisted sense of humor. It would make sense that he would come to in the place he'd been put to sleep. Turning abruptly, he stalked up the steps. Survival came first. Later he would have time to find out who had brought him here, and why.

As he followed the crumbling path above the water, Tidus felt as though something was watching him. He eyed the water below him warily. A shadow in the depths darted out from concealment. Before he could move, the path broke beneath his feet. The blond tumbled into the water with a startled yelp. Mere seconds later, he was ambushed by monstrous fish that were eyeing him hungrily.

Though he'd only seen such monsters a handful of times, he recognized them for what they were. Tidus didn't hesitate to draw his sword. With fiends it was kill or be killed. He'd heard horror stories of what fiends had done, before the war had started. Of course, once the battles had started it had been _people _committing the atrocities. The fiends had simply faded into the background.

The three monsters were vicious in their attacks. Their eyes burned with an insane awareness, lurking behind the instinct to feed and the urge to kill. Whatever sentience they had was a moot point, however, as they would kill him either way. He dove forward to slice one apart. The other two surged forward, nearly gouging his unprotected side. Tidus whirled around with a curse, cutting through another of the creatures.

His only warning of the new threat was an ominous rumbling. Behind the last fiend, a much larger one emerged from the rocks. The small fiend attempted to flee, but its sudden movement attracted the giant's attention. It was snapped easily in two. The lunge the giant made sent Tidus tumbling through the water. He recovered in time to see the monstrous thing advance upon him. With surprising quickness, it slashed at him with a sharp fin. His continued survival now hinged on his ability to outmaneuver the predator. The blows he struck in return didn't even phase it. Escape or death were the only options.

When it lunged at him, he barely managed to get out of its way. Luck was on his side as the creature careened into the rubble. It didn't stop for long, however. The thing quickly caught sight of its prey once more. Tidus, realizing there was no way to kill this beast, raced for the surface. Frantically he searched for safety. With a measure of relief, he noticed an intact doorway onto the building. He made a break for it, desperation fueling his worn out limbs. Luck had managed to find him once again, for he tumbled through the opening even as he felt the monster's maw surrounding him.

Part of the ceiling caved in from the monster's impact, sealing Tidus into the building. The only choice left was to move forward. With a resigned sigh, the blitzer did just that. The rubble at the top of the stairs yielded easily to a minimal amount of force, revealing an exit into what Tidus recognized as part of the temple for public worship. He examined the room wearily. Now that the adrenaline had left him he could feel the cold settling into his bones. He was actually able to see his breath

"Need…fire." The blond spoke the words aloud, feeling the need to fill the oppressive emptiness. Spotting the remains of a campfire, he felt a shot of relief. The ashes didn't look that old, so therefore the place had been visited by people recently. With a short burst of energy, he set out to find materials necessary to light a fire.

After a short bit of searching, he was able to find a flint and a bit of tinder. During that time, he was assaulted memories of the place he was in. Tidus recognized what had once been the secondary priest's chambers. Even though he'd gotten chilled doing so, he poked his head out of a window on the upper level. Though the rain inhibited his view he'd been able to spot what had once been the guard barracks. It was disturbing to see a place he'd known so well in ruins. It was obvious that time had done its work on the temple. A shadow of the days before was all that remained now. Judging from this he concluded that the temple had to have been mostly abandoned for decades, if not centuries to be in the state it was. Temples built by the Order tended to withstand the elements with very little maintenance.

The things that puzzled him were the campfire and the withered flowered he'd found. Both the campfire and the flowers were newer than their surroundings. However it seemed as though they were left by different people. He supposed that someone visiting the destroyed temple would leave fresh flowers as a token of respect, but certainly those same people wouldn't have desecrated an area of worship by building a fire in the center. Of course the flowers could have been left to make up for the desecration, but where would someone have gotten them if they hadn't planned ahead? And if they had planned ahead, why would they have needed to make a fire in the center of the temple? Also, the fire's remains seemed newer than the withered bouquets. He could only determine that they were left by different people. It reaffirmed his suspicion that people still frequented this area even thought it was ruined.

After arranging the tinder in the half burned woodpile Tidus struck the flint together. He leapt up in fright when lightning flashed at that exact moment. The thunder came almost at the exact same moment. It crashed over the ruins. It took a moment to regain his calm state of mind and even longer for his heartbeat to slow. The sparks had lit the fire, which had grown in his distraction. He counted himself fortunate that it had started so easily.

With a relieved sigh he sprawled on the ground next to the source of heat. His comfort didn't last long as his stomach saw fit to remind him of its empty state. Even so, he couldn't work up the energy to go looking. The warmth had finally penetrated his bones, offsetting his exhaustion. Sitting up, he hugged his knees to his chest trying to stay awake. When sleep finally overtook him he wasn't able to stop it.

"_What do you want?" Tidus watched himself ask from a curious viewpoint. He abruptly became aware that he was dreaming, though he wasn't sure how he knew. Auron stood in the doorway of his boathouse, watching him impassively._

"_It was a bad call," Auron answered his dream self. "Your team lost because of you."_

"_You came to say that?" the blitzer snapped back, irritated. Tidus remembered that moment quite well. He'd already been irritated by his own blunder during the game, and he'd felt angry that Auron had seen fit to rub it in. _

"_It's been…ten years," Auron reminded him. "I thought you'd be crying." Tidus watched himself blanch. After being gone so long, and then that was all he had to say? Tidus almost felt himself become angry again. This memory was important because it served as a reminder. _

"_Who, me?"_ _Right after the question was asked, he felt another presence. Glancing to the side, he saw the odd purple clad boy run onto the scene. _

"_You cried," the boy declared. It almost sounded like an accusation. Suddenly, with an odd twisting sensation, Tidus found himself in control of his own body once more. The background blurred a bit as the image of the boy became clearer. _

"_It's you, Jin. It's good to see you and all, but…what did you do? Where am I? How are you here? What happened to me?"_

"_So you remember me?" The boy, Jin, seemed for a moment to loose the look of ancient mystery. A smile lit the lower portion of his face. _

"_I seem to recall knowing a kid who I teased about his height." The blitzer smirked at boy, who snorted. "But you're not the same, are you?"_

"_Yes and no," Jin answered. "For being such a blockhead, you were always remarkably intuitive." His form began to fade once more. Jin's head turned suddenly, as though he was listening to someone calling. "I'm so sorry. We had no right, but you _are _needed here," he said as he vanished completely. _

"_Wait! I need answers!" he called, but the apparition was already gone. _

The blond awoke with a start. His head snapped around wildly until he remembered where he was. Burying his face in his arms, he felt a wave of despair. He'd never been one to get depressed, but this was pushing him to the edge. Fighting off the dark feelings, Tidus took stock of his situation. He'd been dreaming, that much he knew. He could remember that he'd been sealed, somehow, and had continued to exist in a dream world. It was a world based off of his memories of life before the war. After a set amount of time had past the dream recycled itself, beginning with him as a child and ending during his blitz career. In that never-ending loop, he'd been unable to remember anything of his previous existence.

Now he was wide awake and completely confused. He was alive, that was clear. Tidus also was aware that a great deal of time had passed. He felt a sudden chill. Glancing up, he saw the flames were beginning to die. A wave of panic took him.

"Hey, wait! Wait! Don't go out on me!" He leaned over the fire, pleading. "Just hold on. I'll get more wood!" he promised it. He'd only taken a few steps when he became aware of something watching him. Lightening flashed again. Turning, he saw the eyes of a fiend flash. It was a hideous creature, all spindly limbs and sharp edges. It raced around the edges of a balcony, building speed until it leapt at him. He wondered how long it had been watching him. This creature had a burning intelligence lurking underneath the insanity. The hiss it produced sounded suspicious. The blond would have sworn the thing had just called him an abomination.

After the first attack, the fiend discovered its prey had a sting. Tidus had managed to score a couple solid hits within the first round even though he sustained injuries as well. They eyed each other warily. Just before the fight renewed, both man and creature were distracted by a sealed door blowing inward. Standing in the new opening was a group of strangely dressed people. They carried patchwork guns a far cry from the quality that Tidus was used to seeing. Even so he recognized the designs. The lead individual, the only woman in the group, seemed to assess the situation quickly. Not wasting time, she jumped into the fray with no word of warning.

"You on my side?" Tidus asked. "Cool!" His spirit leapt at the rescue. The girl lobbed several low-powered grenades at the creature in response. Tidus, using the cover of smoke to his advantage, leapt in to deliver a finished blow. The creature finally succumbed, its body disintegrating rapidly in the way of fiends. After the victory, the two unexpected allies studied each other. The girl snapped off her goggles and Tidus was shocked to see her eyes had a curious spirals in them. She seemed friendly, despite her oddness. Tidus finally allowed himself to relax. He bent over, stretching out his sore limbs. He could feel the shallow cuts from the monster smarting. He'd definitely have bruises.

"Whew! That was close." His voice betrayed his relief. It took him completely by surprise when one of the men came up to him and grabbed him by the hair. He was jerked roughly to a standing position, head held back at an awkward angle. "Hey, lemme go!" he protested loudly, struggling. He abruptly still when his captors surrounded him, training their guns on him. They began to converse in a language that he didn't even recognize. Even so, he understood the tones and didn't like the implications. When a knife was held to his throat he began to wish that he'd been left alone with the fiend. He tilted his head farther back, trying to distance his neck from the edge.

The girl, at least, seemed to protest their treatment of him. It seemed she was in command, for they released him. He wasn't sure what to think when she approached him. Leaning over his shoulder, she whispered a word in his ear. He didn't have time to puzzle over it as she punched him in the stomach, hard. Dropping to his knees, his vision blurred. He clutched at his middle in a futile effort to dull the pain. He blacked out as he hit the ground.

**ENDCHAPTERTWO**

Well, how is it? Anyone know where I'm going with this yet? Anyway, I hoped you all liked it. This chapter was…difficult, to say the least. I hope I wasn't repetative. I managed to clean it up some, but it might still give that impression. It's hard to try and make certain parts interesting when they mimic the game. It's especially hard to describe battle scenes, as I don't want to leave the important ones out entirely.

Thanks to:

**Puppet in the Corner, risse, Meanae**

For reviewing.


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